BEST SOMMELIERS INDIA 2025 – A PLATFORM FOR ASPIRING SOMMELIERS BY FEATURE DESK

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THE SECOND EDITION OF THE BEST SOMMELIER INDIA (BSI)
FROM FEATURES DESKK
“India’s sommeliers are stepping onto the world stage and the Best Sommelier India competition is the platform that’s putting them there.”
The Best Sommelier India (BSI) competition was designed to encourage the Indian wine professionals working in India and internationally, and to cultivate excellence by recognizing and celebrating exceptional talent, dedication, and professionalism among sommeliers.
With a format similar to global sommelier competitions and an international jury, BSI aimed to provide a platform for aspiring sommeliers to showcase their skills, passion, and expertise, and to inspire each other to strive for excellence in their craft. We hope this will help in nurturing a community of wine professionals dedicated to continuous learning and growth on a global level.
The competition was launched in 2024 to give Indian sommeliers a platform to showcase their skills, meet other sommeliers and compete at global levels to upgrade their skills.
The first BSI in 2024 saw more than 80 participants, culminating in a thrilling finale where Kevin Rodrigues (Indian Accent Mumbai) was crowned champion, with Harnil Mathur (Black Sheep Restaurants, Hong Kong) taking Silver and Shiva Chaurasiya (67 Pall Mall, Singapore) earning Bronze. The first edition established a benchmark, demonstrating the skills Indian sommeliers could bring to a stage modeled on global contests.
The second edition drew nearly 80 entries from across India and abroad who attended the initial Masterclass by Master Sommelier Ronan Sayburn which elaborated on the role of a Sommelier and gave guidance to the participants on how to prepare for such a competition. The masterclass was hosted on the Vinbibe App which has been developed by Ronan Sayburn MS in partnership with Indian School of Beverages.
The Online Opening Round which consisted of a Theory test, gave us the Top 12 semi-finalists who were invited to an in-person Decanting and Wine Service masterclass by Ronan Sayburn MS.
On 1st October morning began the first round of semi-finals with a Theory test, which was definitely a level up in difficulty and included the blind tasting of 2 wines. This was followed by a Wine Service round where judges assessed each participant on their service skills and professionalism. Post lunch, we had scores from all the semi-final rounds and it was time to announce who the Top 3 sommeliers would be who were then to perform the Finale tasks on stage in front of a live audience.
The final three – Shiva Chaurasiya (67 Pall Mall, Singapore), Arth Jain (Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Mumbai) and Parth Mehta (Mumbai), stepped onto a stage set like a restaurant, with eight jury members assessing each contestant on a series of tasks:
  • Food and wine matching
  • Spotting and correcting errors on a wine list
  • Decanting and wine service
  • Blind tasting of two wines and four spirits
  • The photo identification round, featuring wine-related items, labels, personalities, and places
  • The sparkling wine pour, requiring each contestant to open a magnum size equivalent and pour it evenly into 16 glasses
This combination of theoretical knowledge, technical precision, and performance under pressure made the finale a true test of all-round ability.
After an intense day, Shiva Chaurasiya emerged as Title Winner of the Best Sommelier India 2025, with Arth Jain earning Silver and Parth Mehta taking Bronze.
Winner prizes: Along with a gold medal, Shiva won the grand prize of an all-expense paid trip to Austria to attend VieVinum expo, courtesy of Austrian Wine; a prestigious bottle of Penfolds Grange Hermitage, a bottle of Bottega Prosecco, a Coravin wine preservation system, and glassware set from Lucaris Crystal.
With the 2025 edition concluded, one thing is clear: India’s sommeliers are carving their place on the global stage, determined to grow, inspire, and uphold the standards that will shape the nation’s evolving wine culture.
The distinguished jury brought both global and Indian expertise to the competition.
Ronan Sayburn MS – CEO, Court of Master Sommeliers Europe
Edouard Oger MS – Course Coordinator, Court of Master Sommeliers Europe
Gearoid Devaney MS – Director, Flint Wines UK
Kamal Malik MS – Sales Head, MMI Maldives
Shivani Tomar DipWSET – Awards Manager at Decanter World Wine Awards
Vishal Kadakia – Founder, Wine Park
Kadambari Kapoor – Founder, Gusto Wines
Apurva Gawande DipWSET – Founder, Curated Wine
Kevin Rodrigues – Winner – Best Sommelier India 2024, Head of Wines at EHV International

12 semi-finalists:

Abhilash Ashokan – Address Beach Resort, Bahrain
Akul Anand – Constance Hotels & Resorts, Maldives
Arth Jain – Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Mumbai
Darshit Bhatia – Princess Cruises
Manav Katte – Taj Lands End, Mumbai
Nikhil Surve – Tresind Studio, Dubai
Ronit Singh – The Leela Ambience, Delhi
Shaunak Dalal – Sula Vineyards, Pune
Shiva Chaurasiya – 67 Pall Mall, Singapore
Udiksh Arya – Farmlore, Bengaluru
Vishal Singh – Wine Park, Mumbai
Parth Mehta – Mumbai
With the second edition concluded in October 2025, India’s sommeliers have signalled their readiness to shape not only the nation’s wine culture, but also to claim their place on the world stage.”